Browse by topic: Press release, Air Pollution, Shipping, Standards

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Shipping users will for the first time be granted access to transparent data that identifies the most efficient ships and practices, under a law approved by the European Parliament in full today. The public disclosure of fuel efficiency data will enhance competition for the best ships and routes, which in turn will trigger market forces that will result in fuel savings. Sustainable transport group Transport & Environment (T&E) said the measure is a stepping stone to CO2 targets that will start delivering much-needed cuts to shipping’s ever-growing emissions.

Transport & Environment, Seas at Risk and Carbon War Room are urging the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) not to withhold data on ship efficiency and fuel consumption. The call for action follows moves by some industry groups to undermine initiatives at the IMO and EU level that would make efficiency performance publicly available and require ships to report and publicise their energy efficiency data.

Today MEPs voted to reject a proposal to monitor nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from shipping, which is set to overtake all land-based sources by 2020. Transport & Environment says EU governments must not waste this unique opportunity to monitor two of the most harmful air pollutants, NOx and sulphur (SOx), as part of the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of shipping emissions proposal.

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) today abandoned the fixed start date for new NOx emissions control areas (NECAs), which require an 80% cut in NOx from new ships sailing in specially designated zones. Instead, the IMO will replace the 2016 application date with flexible provisions for any NECAs established after that date. Transport & Environment (T&E) deplores this rushed-through decision, as it will negatively impact on the environment and the health of Europeans.

The European Commission has published today a proposal to monitor, report and verify (MRV) on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping. This measure will apply to all ships calling at EU ports and could to set the baseline for an eventual measure to actually require emissions reductions. Shipping is responsible for over 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and these will double by 2020 if nothing is done to curb them.

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) today decided to postpone the entry into force of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions limits for ship engines from 2016 to 2021. Environmental NGOs Transport & Environment (T&E) and Seas at Risk, founding members of the IMO observer organisation Clean Shipping Coalition, condemn IMO’s decision and now call on the EU to adopt its own NOx limits for cleaner air.

Environmental groups have today welcomed a European Parliament vote which will help cut back air pollution by significantly decreasing the amount of dirty sulphur allowed in marine fuels. The Directive on Sulphur in Marine Fuels which was tentatively agreed upon before the summer break by the European Parliament negotiators, the Commission and the Council, has just been formally adopted by an overwhelming majority of MEPs.

The EU has boosted efforts to remove one of the main sources of air pollution and acid rain from shipping. Environmental groups have welcomed the deal announced today by representatives of the European Parliament, Commission and member states to reduce the sulphur content of marine fuels. The deal now needs to be approved formally by environment ministers and by the full Parliament.